1. Kansas City Chiefs: My pick here is Central Michigan Eric Fisher. ...2. Jacksonville Jaguars: The next best player on the board is Luke Joeckel ...3. Oakland Raiders: This selection is easy. It’s defensive tackle Shariff Floyd of Florida, ...4. Philadelphia Eagles: This is where the defensive player that intrigues me the most comes off the board. That’s Oregon DE/OLB Dion Jordan. ...5. Detroit Lions: Let’s start with two questions - What is a greater position of need for the Lions, OT or CB? Which of those two positions has the higher rated player? For me, it’s OT. My pick is Oklahoma LT Lane Johnson. ...6. Cleveland Browns: I’m selecting Notre Dame TE Tyler Eifert. Conventional wisdom says TE is not a position you take in the top ten. Two tight ends have been taken in the top ten in this decade, both at number six: Kellen Winslow in 2004, and Vernon Davis in 2006. I have written extensively about the increased value of the “Joker” TE in today’s NFL, and have talked to many defensive coordinators who have told me that matching up to “12” personnel (one back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers) is a real problem. Eifert is the most athletic TE in this draft class. I saw him split outside the numbers many times, and beat corners on vertical routes. Two things to keep in mind: Rob Chudzinski was the OC in Cleveland in 2007 when Winslow had 82 catches for 1,106 yards (the Browns won the AFC North that season), and new OC Norv Turner is a master at utilizing the TE, most recently Antonio Gates, but you can go all the way back to Jay Novacek with the Cowboys in the early 1990s.

7. Arizona Cardinals: West Virginia WR Tavon Austin. Most know at this point how I feel about Austin. Here’s how I described him in a previous column:

He aligned all over the formation, including in the backfield, and possesses an extraordinary combination of flash quickness, lateral explosion, stop and start acceleration and top end speed. He’s a live wire with the ball in his hands: shifty, elusive and unpredictable, with the ability to turn routine plays into impact, game changing masterpieces.

Now think about new head coach Bruce Arians. Last year in Indianapolis, he had rookie T.Y. Hilton, at 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds. Hilton played 61 percent of the Colts' snaps, had 861 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. In addition, he averaged almost 12 yards per punt return, with another touchdown. Prior to that with the Steelers, Arians featured 5-foot-10, 186-pound Antonio Brown. In 2011, Arians last year in Pittsburgh, Brown had 69 catches for 1108 yards. Austin is more versatile, and more explosive than both Brown and Hilton.

8. Buffalo Bills: LSU DE/OLB Barkevious Mingo ...9. New York Jets: The pick here is my number one guard in the draft, North Carolina's Jonathan Cooper. ...10. Tennessee Titans: The next best offensive guard on the board is Alabama's Chance Warmack. ...11. San Diego Chargers: The best combination of size, speed and athleticism at linebacker in this draft is Georgia's Alec Ogletree. ...12. Miami Dolphins: Here’s where my top corner comes of the board. That would be D.J. Hayden of Houston. He’s the most physically gifted corner in this draft class. As I wrote in a recent column, “Cornering the Market”, Hayden has the most complete and impressive combination of sudden movement, change of direction, the ability to effectively play both press man and off coverage zone, a challenging and competitive playing temperament, and as an added dimension, his willingness to support in the run game with aggression. No corner has a more fluid and compact backpedal, with balance, body control and the quickest feet of any prospect in the draft.

13. New York Jets: My pick is Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones. ...14. Carolina Panthers: Again, you have a team with a glaring need at a specific position, and a terrific prospect who can fill the void. Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, ...15. New Orleans Saints: My pick here is Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. Lotulelei, based on overall skill set, could have easily been selected higher in my mock. ...16. St. Louis Rams: Who will run the ball for the Rams? How about Alabama running back Eddie Lacy ...

CB is the deepest position in the draft..........we are not taking one at 12!

Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:10 am

Phins Rock

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

MdDolfan wrote:

CB is the deepest position in the draft..........we are not taking one at 12!

You don't pass up great players because there are good ones later. Especially at premium positions like CB.

I love Hayden. Have had him as my #2 CB for a while now. But I'm not taking a guy who played against lower competition, didn't play a lot of man coverage and who has mediocre ball skills in the top 15.

I'm all for moving up from 42 for him, but not taking him at 12 and I'm definitely not taking him ahead of Milliner.

To me, if a team is playing zone it's because they can't play man. Not to say you can't be successful with zone, and I do love Hayden as a fit in a zone scheme. But if you have a chance to get a top flight press man CB like Milliner, you can't pass that up. I think it's an easy choice if he's available.

Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:53 pm

Rich

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Phins Rock wrote:

But if you have a chance to get a top flight press man CB like Milliner, you can't pass that up. I think it's an easy choice if he's available.

The knock on CBs coming out of Saban's system is that Alabama plays a lot of zone. The knock on Milliner is that he gave up plays in man coverage and has a questionable back pedal.

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Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:55 pm

jammer

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

I didn't even notice that Milliner wasn't selected. I have to agree with PR, if Milliner is there Miami is racing to the podium.

Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:57 pm

Phins Rock

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Rich wrote:

Phins Rock wrote:

But if you have a chance to get a top flight press man CB like Milliner, you can't pass that up. I think it's an easy choice if he's available.

The knock on CBs coming out of Saban's system is that Alabama plays a lot of zone. The knock on Milliner is that he gave up plays in man coverage and has a questionable back pedal.

From everything I've seen he was primarily in man coverage. Played some zone as well, but not nearly as much as man. Maybe I need to look closer at that though.

Either way I think he can play both. He reminds me a lot of Leon Hall. Maybe not Revis good, but somebody you can line up against top WR's 1 on 1, and the type of guy that costs 10 million a year on the open market.

Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:59 pm

Rich

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Phins Rock wrote:

From everything I've seen he was primarily in man coverage.

Read Prico's latest column posted by swerve.

Also when Saban was here we ran a lot of zone.

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Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:00 pm

Phins Rock

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Rich wrote:

Phins Rock wrote:

From everything I've seen he was primarily in man coverage.

Read Prico's latest column posted by swerve.

Also when Saban was here we ran a lot of zone.

I was going to do a blog this week on Milliner vs Hayden, so you got me working early on it.

I'll do the rest of his tape for the blog, but I went back and charted his game vs Tennessee...Not sure if they would or wouldn't be more prone to using zone coverage given Tennessee had Hunter, Patterson and Rodgers with Bray throwing the ball, but here it is:

Man: 15 playsZone: 9 plays

Of those 24, 8 were in press coverage. Bray had 27 attempts, but 3 of them were too tough to call on whether Milliner was in man or zone so I left them out.

The game was interesting because Tennessee had the WR who lined up against Dee line up 3 yards off the line of scrimmage a lot, clearly aware of Milliner's press ability. Even if they were off the line, but Milliner was within 2 yards of the LOS and put his hands on the WR early, I counted it as press coverage.

This is like the 5th time I've reviewed that tape, but I'll re-iterate it again for the sake of it. Milliner is comfortable in both, but his ability in press-man is what makes him a top 15 pick, IMO. Not many guys have it, and there are very few players at very few positions that I'd take over a guy with his ability in that area.

I have been sitting here watching Path to the Draft and they had Mike Mayock on earlier. He said the main reason he moved Hayden ahead of Milliner was ball skills, and he thought Hayden was better.

He thought both guys were on a par in every other aspect of the game. Good in off man and press man and had awareness in zone coverage.

of course he has better ball skills. He equaled Milliner's interception total and played in 17 fewer games than Milliner because of his heart injury. I don't know where this talk came from about Hayden not being good with the ball in the air. He has the quickest instincts of any corner about knowing when to break on an interception and he's also great at leaving his man to go after the ball for the easy interception.

Mon Apr 22, 2013 8:10 pm

swerve13

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

phinsfansc wrote:

I have been sitting here watching Path to the Draft and they had Mike Mayock on earlier. He said the main reason he moved Hayden ahead of Milliner was ball skills, and he thought Hayden was better.

He thought both guys were on a par in every other aspect of the game. Good in off man and press man and had awareness in zone coverage.

funny you say that Tony. This just came across the wire.

Quote:

Appearing on NFL 32 Monday, ESPN's Todd McShay suggested Alabama CB Dee Milliner "might fall a little bit" on draft day.We've gotten the same vibe. McShay cited teams' concerns about Milliner's "durability" and "not elite ball skills." A Monday morning report suggested Milliner wouldn't even be ready for training camp following shoulder surgery. On Monday's Mort Report, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Milliner's medical history includes a rod in his tibia near Milliner's ankle, a past knee scope, and hernia surgery. "There is some concern out there about Milliner and his medical history," Mortensen said. "And it's not misinformation, not trying to make a guy fall down (the draft) because all teams have this same information."

Mon Apr 22, 2013 8:13 pm

Phins Rock

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

swerve13 wrote:

phinsfansc wrote:

I have been sitting here watching Path to the Draft and they had Mike Mayock on earlier. He said the main reason he moved Hayden ahead of Milliner was ball skills, and he thought Hayden was better.

He thought both guys were on a par in every other aspect of the game. Good in off man and press man and had awareness in zone coverage.

of course he has better ball skills. He equaled Milliner's interception total and played in 17 fewer games than Milliner because of his heart injury. I don't know where this talk came from about Hayden not being good with the ball in the air. He has the quickest instincts of any corner about knowing when to break on an interception and he's also great at leaving his man to go after the ball for the easy interception.

So interception numbers is the measure of a player's ball skills? Ok then....

Those are two big things for me. I love a corner who isn't afraid to come up and hit someone, it's why Antoine Winfield has always been one of my favorite corners, and you can't say enough for a guy who is mature, and I have a feeling that D.J. is going to be one of the most mature players in this draft. Having a life-threatening injury has a way of giving you some perspective on life.

I have been sitting here watching Path to the Draft and they had Mike Mayock on earlier. He said the main reason he moved Hayden ahead of Milliner was ball skills, and he thought Hayden was better.

He thought both guys were on a par in every other aspect of the game. Good in off man and press man and had awareness in zone coverage.

of course he has better ball skills. He equaled Milliner's interception total and played in 17 fewer games than Milliner because of his heart injury. I don't know where this talk came from about Hayden not being good with the ball in the air. He has the quickest instincts of any corner about knowing when to break on an interception and he's also great at leaving his man to go after the ball for the easy interception.

So interception numbers is the measure of a player's ball skills? Ok then....

what else does a corner do with the ball? throw it?If NFL draft experts say he has better ball skills than Milliner I'll take their word for it.They get paid to know that, we don't.

Last edited by swerve13 on Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:29 am

swerve13

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Quote:

Defensive Back Ball Skills:Your goal as a Great Cornerback is to blanket any man you cover or any man in your zone and intercept the ball. This means that, just like a receiver, it is your job to catch anything thrown your way. You have to work on your ball skills, and there are several drills and tools you can use to snatch turnovers from the opposing team.

Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:35 am

Phins Rock

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

That argument is as weak as Sparano's "Pat White is really accurate. Look at his completion percentage at WVU."

So I guess Sean Smith is a better tackler than Richard Sherman because Sean had more tackles?

Check my post with the video evidence swerve.

Tue Apr 23, 2013 6:43 am

Rich

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

swerve13 wrote:

what else does a corner do with the ball? throw it?

Way to avoid getting condescending.

I thought you were big on respectful disagreements... but I digress.

Pass break ups would be a part of that ball skill equation as well.

Similar to QB hurries and sacks for pass rushers.

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Tue Apr 23, 2013 8:33 am

swerve13

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Rich wrote:

swerve13 wrote:

what else does a corner do with the ball? throw it?

Way to avoid getting condescending.

I thought you were big on respectful disagreements... but I digress.

Pass break ups would be a part of that ball skill equation as well.

Similar to QB hurries and sacks for pass rushers.

Not even close to as disrespectful you get with people here Richie.My response was of the typical Phinfever variety.

Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:21 pm

Rich

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

swerve13 wrote:

Not even close to as disrespectful you get with people here Richie.My response was of the typical Phinfever variety.

Yeah, how convenient. In one thread, you condescend to people and then act shocked and indignant when they respond in kind.

And in another thread you preach about having civilized disagreements.

You're all over the place. I guess the name swerve fits you well. You must have been drunk when you posted that garbage about liking civilized disagreements...

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Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:29 pm

swerve13

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

seriously dude, you need to stop obsessing about me.It's not healthy.

Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:34 pm

Rich

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

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Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:35 pm

Phins Rock

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Meanwhile, in the debate that had actual substance between Phins Rock and swerve....

Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:37 pm

swerve13

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

need to find a better outlet for your life anger than bullying people on Phinfever.Try Lawn darts or bowling. Get it all out Rich.

Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:38 pm

swerve13

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Phins Rock wrote:

Meanwhile, in the debate that had actual substance between Phins Rock and swerve....

Very True. Before somebody derailed another thread.

Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:39 pm

Rich

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

Phins Rock wrote:

Meanwhile, in the debate that had actual substance between Phins Rock and swerve....

Did not realize that him ridiculing your post was actual substance.

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Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:40 pm

IamPZ

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

I'm starting to like Hayden more and more to be honest.

Idk about your view of Milliners ball skills though, PR. Every draft expert out there has had a concern about his ball skills... but I don't really know for sure... NFL.com's scouting report says no such thing...

If we do pass on a corner in round 1... does anyone like this Robert Alford kid?

Draftcountdown.com has him listed as their #1 sleeper of this draft.

Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:44 pm

Phins Rock

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Re: Greg Cosell’s mock draft: Picks 1-16

I like Alford, and he ran a lot of zone in college.

But small school CB's scare me. One of the main reasons I have a conviction about Milliner > Hayden is the competition they played against, both on Saturday's and in practice.